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[aaaslayer]

Mine is a bit further out but I'm also watching for answers to this.

I'm also interested in what anyone thinks of 5.5 vs. 6.5 ft beds. I am leaning toward a Tundra and liked the room inside a 6.5 ft bed. But 5.5 seems easier to find and might be an easier drive for me. (I work from home, so not a "daily" driver...but it would be my only vehicle.)

I've owned a short bed Silverado and Tundra in the past. One of my biggest regrets was not going with a longer bed. So my next truck was a Ram 2500 Diesel long bed 8 foot. It was great and space was amazing. Then I realized how much of a pain it was to navigate tight trails. Some trails I couldn't even go to anymore due to the long bed and wheelbase.

Now I own a Ram 2500 Power Wagon with a standard 6'4 bed and love it. I do sometimes wish I had a bit more space like in my long bed, but the wheelbase and bed size are perfect and allow me to hit up tight trails again with ease. I would get the 6.5 bed on that tundra.


I'll never go back to a short bed truck again. Unless it is a short bed cab and chassis for the shorter wheelbase and then go with a flat bed. If I ever do an 8ft bed again, it'd be on a single cab for less wheelbase.

 

[jagarcia89]

Mine is a bit further out but I'm also watching for answers to this.

I'm also interested in what anyone thinks of 5.5 vs. 6.5 ft beds. I am leaning toward a Tundra and liked the room inside a 6.5 ft bed. But 5.5 seems easier to find and might be an easier drive for me. (I work from home, so not a "daily" driver...but it would be my only vehicle.)

I have a 5.5 bed ram. Would the extra 10” be convenient? Absolutely. But more so for bikes and other stuff. For the camper the 5.5 bed is fine. I have 28” from the foot of the deployed bed to the back wall which is enough to get in and out of bed via a ladder without feeling like I’m squeezing (and I’m a fat guy).

As for features I’m glad I went with:
-sliding front window. Being able to pass wires through as needed, clean the back truck window, and have a massive spot for fresh air while protected from rain or intruders is great. I find I often open the window when parked just to prevent heat from building up.

-extra bedding height. Obviously more room for activities.

- extra tubes in barn door for a bike stand. This was custom and relatively cheap. It works great and I use it a ton.

- positive pressure vent- also “custom” but for the price it’s great. I drive very fast down dirt roads and have minimal dirt and dust intrusion with absolutely no sealing of the bed.

Wish I got:
-solar port. I didn’t want to spend the money when I’ve installed several solar ports. It’s easy and $10 or less for the part. However, it would have been nice to just not have to mess with it as now it’s just another thing on the list of projects to sort out and figure the best time to do it among the other projects to avoid taking the headliner out several times. . Probably worth it to just spend the money at the start.

-roof rails. I figured I wouldn’t use it for cargo since it’s so high, but would be nice to be able to just bolt solar panels up and change as necessary. I had planned and will still use flexible panels, but will probably get a more expensive one so I never have to worry about replacing it. For that price difference I could’ve spent $300 and had rails.


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[bonuscup]

I have a 5.5 bed ram. Would the extra 10” be convenient? Absolutely. But more so for bikes and other stuff. For the camper the 5.5 bed is fine. I have 28” from the foot of the deployed bed to the back wall which is enough to get in and out of bed via a ladder without feeling like I’m squeezing (and I’m a fat guy).

As for features I’m glad I went with:
-sliding front window. Being able to pass wires through as needed, clean the back truck window, and have a massive spot for fresh air while protected from rain or intruders is great. I find I often open the window when parked just to prevent heat from building up.

-extra bedding height. Obviously more room for activities.

- extra tubes in barn door for a bike stand. This was custom and relatively cheap. It works great and I use it a ton.

- positive pressure vent- also “custom” but for the price it’s great. I drive very fast down dirt roads and have minimal dirt and dust intrusion with absolutely no sealing of the bed.

Wish I got:
-solar port. I didn’t want to spend the money when I’ve installed several solar ports. It’s easy and $10 or less for the part. However, it would have been nice to just not have to mess with it as now it’s just another thing on the list of projects to sort out and figure the best time to do it among the other projects to avoid taking the headliner out several times. . Probably worth it to just spend the money at the start.

-roof rails. I figured I wouldn’t use it for cargo since it’s so high, but would be nice to be able to just bolt solar panels up and change as necessary. I had planned and will still use flexible panels, but will probably get a more expensive one so I never have to worry about replacing it. For that price difference I could’ve spent $300 and had rails.


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This is really helpful, thanks. I think I messaged you on IG about the positive pressure vent - I’m definitely going to go with one of those. Did you buy the whole hatch assembly and just use the vent? Or is the vent available on its own? We mob around the desert a lot in the winter so it seems like a no brainer.

 

[jagarcia89]

This is really helpful, thanks. I think I messaged you on IG about the positive pressure vent - I’m definitely going to go with one of those. Did you buy the whole hatch assembly and just use the vent? Or is the vent available on its own? We mob around the desert a lot in the winter so it seems like a no brainer.

The link I sent should have just been the vent and trim kit. https://www.westmarine.com/lewmar-cabin-hatch-vent-trim-kit-P024_720_004_502.html


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[dstefan]

Mine is a bit further out but I'm also watching for answers to this.

I'm also interested in what anyone thinks of 5.5 vs. 6.5 ft beds. I am leaning toward a Tundra and liked the room inside a 6.5 ft bed. But 5.5 seems easier to find and might be an easier drive for me. (I work from home, so not a "daily" driver...but it would be my only vehicle.)

If you’re gonna seriously camp and travel, I think you will regret not going 6’5”, especially if you do any kind of interior build and travel with another person, dogs, etc

 

[dstefan]

Also … to see the stand up room in a short bed see the picture in post #17 of this thread for a picture @Pshin took for me when I was trying to figure this out. Its a 5’ bed, but I’m pretty sure the sleeping platform is the same length. So, mentally add 6” to the space shown. Maybe that will help .…it sold me on the 6.5’ bed.

Another OVRLND Camper Build

Thanks! I'm still an amateur when it comes to woodworking. It's been fun though! Given your needs, I think a larger truck with a bigger bed would definitely be beneficial. With our 5'2" bed we have about 20 inches from the end of the bed platform to the rear wall. It's enough to stand, climb up...

expeditionportal.com

I know he sold his rig for a van after about a year IIRC due to the space constraints.

Edit: Also, also … I found it really useful to layout the short vs long bed dimensions on the garage floor in blue tape (including making the space lost to wheelwells) and use boxes, etc to mark out your fridge/cooler, bins, planned built ins, etc. You can quickly see what works or not.

 

[terrie]

So much helpful info...thanks all! It sounds like long bed is the way to go for me; a little more room is probably a good thing when trying to work out of it as a mobile office, and I would like to spend a summer meandering up to Alaska. Probably a Tundra but wanting to learn more about the F-150 hybrid options.

I found it really useful to layout the short vs long bed dimensions on the garage floor in blue tape (including making the space lost to wheelwells) and use boxes, etc to mark out your fridge/cooler, bins, planned built ins, etc. You can quickly see what works or not.

This sounds like a great idea. Could even hang some tarp to get 3-d if you wanted to really go nuts. Being able to stand inside rigs at Overland Expo changed the direction I am heading and was so useful. I don't have any gift for visualizing/feeling spaces in my head.

 

[dstefan]

CAD is time tested! … Cardboard Aided Design?
Wish I’d been the one to name it …

 

[PirateMcGee]

So much helpful info...thanks all! It sounds like long bed is the way to go for me; a little more room is probably a good thing when trying to work out of it as a mobile office, and I would like to spend a summer meandering up to Alaska. Probably a Tundra but wanting to learn more about the F-150 hybrid options.



This sounds like a great idea. Could even hang some tarp to get 3-d if you wanted to really go nuts. Being able to stand inside rigs at Overland Expo changed the direction I am heading and was so useful. I don't have any gift for visualizing/feeling spaces in my head.

Titan XD is a solid crew cab standard bed option too. My king cab regular Titan has enough room for adults in the back but it's like an airplane seat. I so rarely have anyone back there that the smaller overall truck works well. Lots of good options these days!

 

[PirateMcGee]

This is a full load out for archery elk. I had nothing in the cab and 5 days of supplies, archery target, two massive coolers, camp kitchen etc. and still plenty of room to get dressed, hangout in front of the heater, etc. 6.5' or 8' bed is the way to go.

 

[jagarcia89]

View attachment 716696
Solar installation is done. Running 275w total to a Renogy Dual Input 30A charge controller connected to a 144Ah home brew Lifepo4 pack. Should keep the electronics charged and the dometic 55im chilly full time.

How is this set up treating you? What did you use to adhere the panels to the aluminum? I am at the stage I need to decide my solar set up and was planning on flexible panels, but I was going to try to mount between the roof screws which limits my panel size options since I also have a fan. Looks like you just laid it right over the rivets - is that working well? Any issues with heat having it mounted direct to the mill roof?

 

[Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee]

Mine is a bit further out but I'm also watching for answers to this.

I'm also interested in what anyone thinks of 5.5 vs. 6.5 ft beds. I am leaning toward a Tundra and liked the room inside a 6.5 ft bed. But 5.5 seems easier to find and might be an easier drive for me. (I work from home, so not a "daily" driver...but it would be my only vehicle.)

I have no idea why 12 inches less is easier to drive. Would the 6.5' bed be easier to drive if you convinced yourself, it was only 5.5' long?

With the tailgate down, you need 8' or as close as you can get to say you have a truck. Wait until mom asks you to pick up a couch with legs at the ends, or pops who needs some plywood from Home Depot or you need to pick up the kids swing set, that extra foot matters.

I'll agree that 8' beds are for country folk, ranchers, farmers, you might need that to haul a bushhog. Suburban and city folks traveling as weekend warriors should have a 6 foot bed, IMHO, (lightly on the H). At 8' that begins to chop off the departure angle. If 6 foot is an issue with the departure angle with a mere 12inches, get a 4 inch lift.

That's a big reason I went with an F-150 over a short bed Taco back in the day.

 

[dstefan]

What did you use to adhere the panels to the aluminum? I am at the stage I need to decide my solar set up and was planning on flexible panels, but I was going to try to mount between the roof screws which limits my panel size options since I also have a fan. Looks like you just laid it right over the rivets - is that working well? Any issues with heat having it mounted direct to the mill roof?

Search RV with Tito on YouTube. He has several really great approaches to mounting flexible panels to avoid the heat issue and to make them easy to replace when they crap out.

 

[PirateMcGee]

How is this set up treating you? What did you use to adhere the panels to the aluminum? I am at the stage I need to decide my solar set up and was planning on flexible panels, but I was going to try to mount between the roof screws which limits my panel size options since I also have a fan. Looks like you just laid it right over the rivets - is that working well? Any issues with heat having it mounted direct to the mill roof?

Working perfectly. I went right over the rivets, added a couple of grommets to the panels, a couple of screws, vhb tape along the edge and 3m sealant around the leading edge/ sides. Zero issues, 275w of power.

 

[EX121]

The wife suggested installing some hooks into the sides to hang clothing on and to use in securing cargo. I'm thinking about screwing some 1/2 inch number 8 eye/hooks into the sides below the bed slide rail. Has anyone done this?